January 25, 2018: Day 31 – Genesis 31

The set up for Jacob running away from his father-in-law is interesting. Do you notice that he calls out to Rachel and Leah and asks them to meet him in the fields? It was probably the only place where the three of them could meet privately without anyone else being able to hear them. I will never forget living in Russia in a US Embassy apartment and seeing outside of our window in our gated yard other diplomats walking around the oval in which was found the playground because they knew that people were listening to what they were saying in their apartment. It was like living in a novel. But it was real. The same was true here. Jacob was only able to speak to his wives privately if they were out in the field and no one else is around.

So he shares with them the jealousy he thinks that Laban is feeling toward him. Isn’t it interesting that all these livestock are being born in a way that benefits me. I guess he didn’t tell anyone else about the whole poplar rods and how they worked to get the animals to be born a certain way. He kept that to himself, didn’t even tell his wives, who may have felt somewhat loyal to their father and told him of his methods. So he shares with them that it is time to leave, and the Lord came to him in a dream and told him to leave. The wives agree and are on board.

But…, Rachel takes her dad’s household gods. It is a little disappointing that Laban still has household gods, but it is very disappointing that Rachel needed the house hold gods. So from here they race off and seven days later Laban catches up to them. He searches the family and and the goods and doesn’t find his missing gods, after upbraiding Jacob for leaving without saying a word. Well, now it is time for Jacob to upbraid Laban for not trusting him and for thinking that he was a family of thieves. As a result of their upbraiding each other they build a pillar to commemorate the event.

Remember taking a road trip with your brothers and drawing an imaginary line in the middle of the seat and saying: do not cross this line. This side is mine and that side is yours. That is exactly what happens in this Scripture. Laban and Jacob draw a line and agree to stick to their sides. Now it is time for Esau to show up.